Education — Topics

5 Apr 2021

Number of Students Caught for Vaping in Past Three Years and Educational Measures Planned

Over the past three years, about 9 in every 1,000 students across primary, secondary, junior colleges, centralised institutes, polytechnics and ITE were caught for smoking or vaping offences, though the Ministry does not have a specific breakdown for vaping cases.
The Ministry of Education, polytechnics and ITE collaborate with the Health Promotion Board through interactive school programmes, teacher training and the HealthHub portal to raise awareness about the benefits of a tobacco-free lifestyle.
Disciplinary actions such as suspension or caning are taken against students caught using or possessing e-cigarettes, and cases are reported to the Health Sciences Authority for supply investigation and potential enforcement.
Recalcitrant offenders may face prosecution or fines and are required to attend a Health Promotion Board cessation programme to encourage long-term behavioural change.
Student Health Advisors in more than 60 secondary schools provide guidance to students caught for smoking and vaping to help them quit the habit.

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5 Apr 2021

Requirement and Rationale for Government Approval for Hires of Individual Staff by Autonomous Universities

The Minister clarified that autonomous universities have autonomy in human resource matters and make their own hiring decisions, with due diligence checks conducted on candidates.
Government approval is not required for regular staff hires, but for senior leadership positions like President and Provost, the universities' Boards of Trustees must consult the Ministry of Education.
The requirement applies only to senior leadership appointments, reflecting a balance between institutional autonomy and governmental oversight for top-level roles.

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5 Apr 2021

Ratio of Singaporean IT Graduates in Employment Currently to Foreigners and Expected Number of Singaporean IT Students Graduating in One to Three Years' Time

The ratio of Singaporean IT graduates in employment to foreigners currently stands at about 70% local talent out of 200,000 Infocomm Technology professionals.
Over the next three years, around 22,000 Singaporean IT students are expected to graduate from Institutes of Higher Learning, supplemented by at least 6,250 from Continuing Education and Training programmes.
The government is expanding intake and investing in training to ensure Singaporeans secure quality IT jobs amid global competition.

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5 Apr 2021

Public Education for Living in Harmony with Wildlife

NParks launched an island-wide “Say No to Feeding Wildlife” campaign to discourage feeding and educate the public on the negative impacts of altering wildlife behavior.
NParks collaborates with schools, from pre-schools to tertiary institutions, to integrate wildlife education through talks, plays, learning journeys, and resources like storybooks and videos.
Educational efforts focus on proper refuse management, safe wildlife sightings, and a science-based approach, including population surveys to inform mitigation measures.
The initiatives aim to foster responsibility and appreciation for wildlife, complementing science curricula and promoting harmonious co-existence in Singapore.

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5 Apr 2021

Organisations Working Collectively to Engage Youths Online and Offline on the Ills of Radicalisation

The Ministry of Home Affairs collaborates with schools, religious, and social organizations through the SGSecure movement to deliver age-appropriate awareness content and activities on radicalisation.
Agencies like ISD conduct workshops, talks, seminars, and online webinars for students, youths, and educators, adapting outreach efforts for the COVID-19 pandemic.
Community partners such as the Religious Rehabilitation Group run counter-ideology activities, including assembly talks, digital content, and learning journeys to promote understanding and mutual respect.

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5 Apr 2021

Breakdown of Number of Mother Tongue Language Pre-school Teachers

The Ministry of Social and Family Development noted that about 1,800 preschools (over 90%) offer at least one Mother Tongue Language, with 160 offering all three, 260 offering two, and the rest offering one, while efforts are ongoing to expand geographic coverage through Anchor Operators and MOE Kindergartens.
Approximately 10,500 early childhood educators are qualified to teach Chinese, 2,800 for Malay, and 700 for Tamil, though not all may be actively teaching MTL, and the Certificate in Pre-school Mother Tongue Language Teaching (CPMTL) for Malay and Tamil has seen nearly 300 completions as of February 2021.
The Ministry did not provide a specific breakdown of MTL pre-school teachers by language or classification, nor detail the CPMTL take-up rate or employment locations, stating that MTL teaching resources remain limited and that national efforts continue to strengthen MTL education upstream in pre-schools.

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5 Apr 2021

Public Education for the Young That High-rise Littering, Laundry Dripping and Non-return of Food Trays are Unacceptable Social Behaviours

The Ministry for Sustainability and the Environment will collaborate with other agencies to educate the young on rejecting high-rise littering, laundry dripping, and non-return of food trays.
Schools integrate civic-mindedness and clean environment lessons into the Character and Citizenship Education curriculum, while the National Environment Agency engages students through creative campaigns like the Clean Tables Campaign.
The Housing and Development Board runs the OHYAY! programme to teach youth about maintaining clean common spaces and being considerate neighbours.
These initiatives aim to reinforce positive social behaviours among the young and foster a more gracious society through multi-agency efforts.

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5 Apr 2021

Ensuring Students have Basic Swimming Proficiency and Water Survival Skills to Minimise Drowning Incidents

Member of Parliament Gerald Giam inquired about the implementation of the SwimSafer 2.0 programme in primary schools, the percentage of Primary 6 and Secondary 4 students who completed stages 1 to 3 in 2020, and how the Ministry ensures all students have basic swimming skills.
Minister Lawrence Wong confirmed that all primary schools use the SwimSafer programme, typically enrolling the entire Primary 3 cohort, with 2019 data showing 83%, 55%, and 39% of participants met Stage 1, 2, and 3 requirements, respectively, though the 2020 cohort faced disruptions due to COVID.
The Minister highlighted that students who fail Stage 1 can receive remediation and re-testing, and the programme is fully funded by the Ministry of Education and conducted during curriculum time to ensure universal access.

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5 Apr 2021

Checks on Freelance Tutors or Instructors to Ascertain No Prior Conviction for Sexual Offences Against Minors

Murali Pillai asked the Minister for Home Affairs what assistance can be provided to parents who wish to conduct background checks on freelance tutors to ensure they have no prior convictions for sexual offences against minors.
The Minister explained that current policy balances protecting children from offenders and supporting their rehabilitation, with the Police maintaining non-public criminal records used by agencies like MOE and MSF for screening employees in child-related roles.
The Minister noted that making these records publicly accessible to parents could resemble a public sex offender registry, which may lead to stigmatisation, harassment, and increased reoffending, as seen in the U.S.
The government is considering whether to mandate screening for all persons working with children, but practical difficulties exist, and further pathways for checking criminal antecedents are under review.
The request for parental access to tutor background checks is acknowledged as reasonable, but the potential consequences of public disclosure require careful evaluation.

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5 Apr 2021

Helping Workers Transit from COVID-19-related Jobs to Longer Term Work

The Minister reported that nearly 93,000 local jobseekers have been placed into jobs and skills opportunities since the launch of the SGUnited Jobs and Skills Package, with about 12,000 in short-term COVID-19 roles like swabbing, safe management, and patient services.
For workers in temporary COVID-19 positions, the government plans to help them find permanent jobs after their stints through extended and enhanced incentives like the Jobs Growth Incentive and career conversion programmes.
Career conversion programmes are available to support reskilling, with 10,000 places this year and new programmes targeted at growing sectors such as Manufacturing, ICT, and Professional Services.
Job seekers can access assistance from WSG, NTUC’s Employment and Employability Institute, and 24 SGUnited Jobs and Skills Centres, with additional support from a new placement partner, Adecco Personnel Pte Ltd.
The response also highlighted redeployments, such as flight attendants acting as care ambassadors in hospitals, with expectations that they will return to their parent companies as demand recovers.

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5 Apr 2021

Number of Lapsed Registration of Registered Nurses

From 2016 to 2020, about 380 local Registered Nurses stopped practising each year, primarily due to family commitments, and there is no specific data on how many are still employed in healthcare institutions but not in nursing roles.
Nurses who have not practised for five years must attend a refresher course under the Return-to-Nursing (RTN) programme, which has been enhanced with a Place-and-Train format allowing them to secure employment and receive a salary during training, fully funded by employers and the government.
Amid COVID-19, a shorter programme was introduced, and about 40 Registered Nurses were trained in the past year to return to nursing practice.

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5 Apr 2021

Students' Access to Counsellors at Universities

Seah Kian Peng asked about the ratio of counsellors to students in Institutes of Higher Learning, how it compares to the public health sector, and whether university students have better access to mental health professionals than the general population.
Lawrence Wong highlighted that IHLs have an ecosystem of mental health support, including trained academic staff, peer support programmes, and counsellors, with numbers varying by institution size and student profile.
He noted that counsellors are complemented by para-counsellors and that students can access external support from community agencies or public healthcare when needed.
Wong stated that comparing campus counselling resources to the general population is not meaningful, as the systems are designed to be complementary rather than directly comparable.

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5 Apr 2021

Resumption of Team Sports for National School Games

Christopher de Souza asked the Minister for Education about allowing team sports such as football, hockey, and netball to resume for the National School Games and how the Ministry is collaborating with schools to restart these activities.
The Minister for Education, Lawrence Wong, confirmed that the National School Games will resume from 29 March to 27 May 2021 for select non-contact sports to reduce COVID-19 transmission risks, but team sports involving physical contact will not be included at this stage.
The Ministry will continue monitoring the situation and work with sports councils and schools to ensure safe conduct, reviewing plans as needed based on the national posture.

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5 Apr 2021

Training and Financial Support for Re-skilling of Oil and Gas Workers

The Minister for Manpower stated that companies and jobseekers can access support schemes like the Productivity Solutions Grant and Workforce Singapore’s career conversion programmes, which offer up to 90% funding for training and wages to facilitate reskilling and redeployment into growth sectors, including for oil and gas workers.
Since 2016, over 34,000 placements and redeployments have been facilitated through these programmes, with specific examples of oil and gas workers successfully switching to new roles, such as in advanced manufacturing.
Institutes of Higher Learning are collaborating with industry to develop relevant programmes, including sustainability-focused degrees and diplomas, to prepare students for emerging jobs in green sectors.

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8 Mar 2021

Accord More Incentives and Recognition to Coaches and Special Education Professionals in Day Activity Centres

Christopher de Souza asked if more incentives and recognition could be given to coaches and special education professionals in Day Activity Centres (DACs) to attract more people to join the profession.
The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) and the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) support the sector through branding efforts, scholarships, awards, and annual training requirements, along with a Skills Framework to guide career development.
MSF and NCSS publish annual salary guidelines to help Social Service Agencies set competitive pay and will continue working to attract and retain staff in the sector.

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5 Mar 2021

School Fees at Government-funded Special Education Schools

The range of monthly school fees for Singapore Citizens in government-funded Special Education (SPED) schools is between $14 and $250, with the mean and median fees around $120 and $70 respectively.
Following the extension of the Compulsory Education Act in 2019 and increased government funding, some SPED schools reduced fees by at least 25% for citizens, and the Ministry will continue to engage schools to keep fees affordable.
Lower-income families can access the SPED Financial Assistance Scheme, which provides full fee waivers, free textbooks and attire, meals, and transport subsidies.

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3 Mar 2021

Review on Requiring Frontline Officers with the Singapore Police Force to Undergo Psychological First-aid Training

Louis Ng asked for an update on the Ministry of Home Affairs' review of requiring Singapore Police Force frontline officers to undergo psychological first-aid training to improve responses to attempted suicides.
The police completed a review in February 2021 and found current training elements adequate, including suicide intervention skills for officers like Ground Response Forces.
The training teaches officers to empathize with emotionally distressed individuals to assist them appropriately during interventions.

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3 Mar 2021

Committee of Supply – Head L (Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment)

Mariam Jaafar called for a strategic review of skills and jobs in the green economy to ensure local workers benefit, and for integrating sustainable development education in schools to prepare an informed citizenry.
Edward Chia proposed an "ESG mark for Singapore" with tiered, sector-specific standards to guide businesses, investors, and consumers, and suggested incorporating ESG criteria into enterprise grant evaluations.
Desmond Choo asked for additional government support for SMEs to adopt green technologies and for a transition plan for the oil and gas sector, seeking clarity on new green jobs and how to prepare workers for them.
Henry Kwek emphasized a balanced approach to the petrochemical sector, urging for high carbon efficiency standards, and requested an update on carbon capture technologies from the Ministry.

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3 Mar 2021

Committee of Supply – Head K (Ministry of Education)

Multiple MPs called for greater mental health and wellness support in schools, smaller class sizes, and enhanced pathways for special education and vocational students, with the Minister highlighting new initiatives like the Centre for Character and Citizenship Education and expansion of Student Care Centres.
Debates emphasized modernizing education to foster lifelong learning, innovation, and soft skills, with proposals for reimagining the system, improving teacher support and appraisal, and expanding polytechnic and institute of technical education pathways to meet future job demands.
The Minister outlined ongoing reforms including blended learning, the shift from streaming to subject-based banding, and stronger support for disadvantaged students through community partnerships, while committing to review policies like primary school registration and teacher appraisal.

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3 Mar 2021

Availability of Industrial Attachments and Internships for Students in Future-ready Sectors

Mr Leon Perera asked about efforts to secure industrial attachments and internships for students in future-ready sectors like green tech, urban farming, and AI.
The Second Minister for Education highlighted that Institutes of Higher Learning provided 25,000 internship opportunities in Academic Year 2019/2020 for relevant courses, exceeding student demand, with industry partners like Edible Garden City and IBM.
IHLs also organize industry talks, projects, and company visits, such as NUS’s sustainability events and Ngee Ann Polytechnic’s Future City Programme with tech partners, to expose students to real-world work.
The Ministry commits to continuing partnerships with industry to expand opportunities in sectors including advanced manufacturing and healthcare.

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